Feed regulating mechanism



May 5, 1942.

wwwesx D. A. GRAESSER FEED REGULATING MECHANISM Filed Nov. 15, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 glwum m flavidzlGraesser 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 D. A. GRAESSER FEEDREGULATING MECHANISM Filed Nov. 15, 1940 May 5, 1942.

Patented May 5, 1942 UNITED STATEfi PATENT GFFHCE FEED REGULATIN G MECHANISM David A. Graesser, Elizabeth, N. J., assignor to The Singer Manufacturing Company, Elizabeth, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application November 15, 1940, Serial No. 365,734

6 Claims. (Cl. 112-4510) ation, as well as additional objects thereof, will be bestunderstood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a side elevation of a sewing machine embodying my invention, a part of the main frame of the, machine being shown in vertical mid-section, and disclosing the essential features of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the machin showing the mechanism below the bed-plate.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation of the machine showing the relative positions of the balance-wheel, feed advance indicating dial, and the indicator pointer which cooperates with said dial.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary top plan view of the machine portion shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view through the feed-advanceindicator dial and balance-wheel clutch assembly.

Fig. 6 is a disassembled perspective view of the stitch-indicator dial, flanged sleeve, and the balance-wheel clutch,

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the invention is disclosed as applied to a sewing machine having a frame comprising a bed i, from one end of which rises a hollow standard 2 of a tubular bracket-arm 3 overhanging the bed and terminating at its free end in a hollow head 4. Journaled lengthwise in the bracket-arm 3 for rotary movement is a main or needle-bar actuating shaft 5 which has a balance-wheel 6 secured to its outboard end and the usual needlebar actuating mechanism (not shown) secured to the other end. The shaft 5, acting through said needle-bar actuating mechanism, motivates a needle-bar I Which is journaled in bearings in the head 4 and carries a needle 8.

The needle 8 cooperates, in the formation of stitches, with the usual loop-taker S which is secured to an actuating shaft Ill journaled in suitable bearings on the bed I. Mounted on the end of shaft Ill opposite to that carrying the loop-taker 9, is a gear II which meshes with a gear l2 on a vertical shaft I3. Also fixed to the shaft (3 is a second gear M which meshes with a gear l5 carried by the needle-actuating shaft 5. From the foregoing it may be understood that both the needle 8 and the cooperating loop-taker 9 are actuated by the main shaft 5 which, in turn, receives its motion from a pulley portion 56 of the balance-wheel 6 connected to a suitable source of power.

The shaft 5 carries a feed-lift eccentric I? which actuates a pitman it having its lower end connected to a feed-lift rock-shaft It for the purpose of imparting a rising and falling movement to the feed-bar 20. A feed-advance eccentric 2| is also carried by the shaft 5 and this eccentric actuates a pitman 22 which has its. lower end connected to a rock-shaft 23 for the purpose of imparting a feed-and-return movementto the feed-bar 25!. The forward and return feeding movement imparted to the feed-bar 2!! may be adjusted by having the operator push a detent or. plunger 24 downwardly and rotate the bal ance-wheel 5. When a notch 25 is opposite the plunger 24, a conical end 25 of the plunger enters the notch 25, whereupon further rotation of the balance-wheel Will turn the eccentric 2! about the shaft 5 and thus the eccentric is shifted to increase or decrease its eccentricity relative to the shaft 5. This eccentric adjustment will vary the amount of movement imparted to the pitman 22 and feed-bar 2!]. For a more complete understanding of this adjustable eccentric mechanism, reference may be had to U. 8-. Patent No. 2,161,579; June 6, 1939, R, Kaier.

To indicate the number of stitches per inch to which the feeding mechanism has been adjusted, a pointer 21 is provided on the standard 38 of a sleeve 29 which, in turn, is attached to the shaft 5 by means of a threaded pin 33. Therefore, the disk 28 is, in effect, made fast to the shaft 5.

The vertical plunger 24 is mounted for end wise movement in a cover-plate 3! and said plunger is normally held in an elevated position by a compression spring 32. Mounted in and depending from the cover-plate iii are a plurality of oil-conducting tubes 33 which supply lubricant to oil-cups formed on the pitman rod 22 and It as well as to the oil-cup mounted on the upper portion of the gear-casing 34. To facilitate assembly of the machine, as well as machine maintenance, the cover-plate 3|, plunger 24, and the depending oil-tubes 33 are made as a unitary element which may be readily secured to or removed from the machine arm 3.

Secured in the rear portion of the bracket-arm 3 is a cylindrical bearing 35 in which is journaled the main shaft 5. At its outer portion this bearing is provided with an undercut recess 44, Fig. 5, concentric with the journaled shaft. Formed on the inner end of the sleeve 28 is an oil sling 45 which is received in the recess 44 in the bearing 35. By overhanging the frame portion 41, the disk 28 acts as a guard to keep foreign matter, threads, etc., from becoming entangled with the rotating sleeve 29, and further, to keep the operator's fingers from being accidentally pinched between the balance-wheel hub and said frame portion 41.

Rotatably journaled upon sleeve 2Z9 is the handor balance-wheel 6, having the pulley portion It. As shown in Fig. of the drawings, a conventional clutch means, comprising a manually rotatable clamp-screw 36, threaded into the outer end of sleeve 29, is provided for clamping the balance-wheel 6 to the sleeve '29 so that retation of the balance-wheel will drive the main or needle-bar actuating shaft 5. The hub 31 of the balance-wheel is journaled on sleeve 29 between the sleeve-flange 38 and a thrust-washer 39 slidingly mounted on the outer end of the sleeve 29. The clamp-screw is adapted to bear against the washer 39 and thereby grip the balance-wheel 6 between the sleeve-flange 38 and said washer 39, so that the balance-wheel will rotate with the shaft 5. The washer 3B is held from moving relative to the sleeve 29 by means of lugs 40 which are recessed into slots 4| provided in said sleeve. The clamp-screw 36 may be backed off to unclamp the balance-wheel from the sleeve 29 and thereby to permit the wheel to rotate relative to the sleeve. Provided on the periphery of the thrust-washer 39 are lugs 42 which cooperate with the inner end of a stopscrew 43, threaded into the clamp-screw 36, to limit the movement of the clamp-screw.

From the above description it will be understood that, with the clamp-screw 36 backed off from the washer 38, the balance-wheel 6 may be used to actuate a bobbin-winder or any suitable attachment devices without moving the stitching or feeding mechanisms. Furthermore, the present construction permits the balance-wheel to be disconnected from the feed-advance indicating disk 23 which is at all times fast on the shaft 5.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention what I claim herein is:

1. In a sewing machine, in combination, a frame, an actuating shaft journaled therein, a feed-advance eccentric on said shaft mounted for adjustment of its eccentricity relative thereto, a detent mounted in said frame and adapted to cooperate with said shaft in the adjustment of the eccentric, a feed-advance indicating means including an indicating disk and a stationary pointer carried by said frame, said indicating disk being secured to said shaft and adapted to cooperate with the pointer, driving means including a balance-wheel mounted upon said shaft, and a manually operable clutching means secured to one end of the shaft and adapted to connect and disconnect said driving means to and from said shaft.

2. In a sewing machine having a frame, a main shaft journaled therein, feeding mechanism in-- cluding a feed-advance eccentric adjustable as to its eccentricity by a turning movement of said shaft, a balance-wheel carried by said shaft, and a balance-wheel clutch whereby said balancewheel may be connected to drive said shaft or rotate independently of the latter; the improvement which consists in the provision of a graduated stitch-adjustment indicating disk fixed to said shaft between said balance-wheel and the machine frame, and a stationary indicator on the machine frame in cooperative relation with said disk.

3. In a sewing machine having a frame, an actuating shaft journaled therein, a feed-advance eccentric on said shaft mounted for adjustment of its eccentricity relative thereto by a turning movement of said shaft, a balance-wheel adapted to be connected to said shaft, and a manually operable clutching means adapted to connect said balance-wheel to and to disconnect it from said shaft; said clutching means including a sleeve fixed to the end of the actuating shaft, said balance-wheel being mounted upon said sleeve, feed-advance indicating means including an indicating disk mounted on said sleeve and a cooperating pointer carried by said frame.

4. A sewing machine having a frame, a main shaft journaled therein and having an outboard projection, a feed-advance eccentric adjustable as to its eccentricity by a turning movement of said main shaft, a main shaft bearing element carried in the rear portion of said frame and provided with a circular recess concentric with said shaft, a sleeve fixed to 'the outboard end of said shaft and provided with an oil sling received in said circular recess and an annular flange, a balance-wheel journaled on said sleeve, clutching means adapted to connect said balance-wheel to and to disconnect it from said sleeve, said clutching means including a thrustwasher mounted upon said sleeve and a clampscrew threaded into the outer end of said sleeve, said balance-wheel being disposed between said annular sleeve-flange and said thrust-washer, feed-advanceindicating means including a cupshaped indicating disk fixed to said sleeve-flange, and a stationary pointer on said frame in cooperative relation with said disk.

5. In a sewing machine, in combination, a frame, an actuating shaft journaled in said frame, feeding mechanism actuated by said shaft, a feed-advance eccentric on said shaft mounted for adjustment of its eccentricity relative thereto, feed-advance indicating means permanently secured to said actuating shaft, a balance-Wheel adapted to be connected to said shaft independently of said indicating means, and manually operable clutching means adapted to connect and disconnect said balance-wheel to and from said shaft.

6. In a sewing machine, in combination, a frame and an actuating shaft journaled therein, stitching and feeding mechanism actuated by said shaft, a feed-advance eccentric mounted on said shaft so that its eccentricity may be adjusted relative thereto, a feed-advance indicating means including an indicating disk permanently secured upon the actuating shaft, driving means including a balance-wheel adapted to be connected to said shaft independently of said indicating means, and manually operable clutching means secured to one end of the shaft and adapted to connect and disconnect said driving means to and from said shaft.

DAVID A. GRAESSER. 

